The Gauntlet
by m3At
Summary: [Inspired by ScrewAttack's DEATH BATTLE!] Episode 1: Spike vs Bowser Jr (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic vs Super Mario Bros.) Battle of the right-hand dragons! These two fire-breathing assistants have helped their associates through thick & thin, but in a fight for the future of their kingdoms, who is the true underdog champion? Hosts Ace & Lance analyze them both!


**The F.U.N. Channel** Presents…  
In association with **RDL Studios & Team Triforce**…  
Inspired by **ScrewAttack's** ** _DEATH BATTLE!_**  
 **The Gauntlet: Spike VS Bowser Jr**

 **Researchers & Hosts:  
**Ray "m3Atl0afman" Nuñez as **Ace** ; Lawrence "RoyalDudeLorenzo" Azure as **Lance  
Written by:  
**Ray "m3Atl0afman" Nuñez

* * *

 **General Rules:**

 **1)** Combatants possess no prior knowledge of each other unless specified by canon or otherwise.  
 **2)** To ensure a fair fight, character personality traits from fighting are ignored. All other traits are not ignored.  
 **3)** Each character's maximum potential is examined unless otherwise specified  & the battle cannot end due to unrelated factors.  
 **4)** All official material related to a character is utilized for research  & analysis unless found contradictory to original source material.

* * *

 ** _Prelude_**

Ace: When a warrior is born and raised into leading a community towards their ideal image of lifestyle, they're usually not alone. An assistant who holds close connections to their higher-up is needed at their side to accomplish more than they previously couldn't.

Lance: And these two play up the "Right-Hand Dragon" card to the best of their abilities.

Ace: **Bowser Jr** , prince of the Koopa clan, as well as assistant and son of King Bowser.

Lance: And **Spike the Dragon** , hero of the Crystal Empire and loyal assistant to Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Ace: I'm Ace and he's Lance, and today on **The Gauntlet** , we're analyzing the armors, arsenal and abilities of these two pint-sized fire breathing underdogs to try and figure out who'd win in a fight.

* * *

 ** _Bowser Jr_**

Ace: The joyous land of the Mushroom Kingdom has been surrounded in peace and prosperity for generations. The denizens of this fair land lived together in harmony, indulging themselves in love and... cake.

Lance: Naturally, it was only a matter of time until some big bad goliath and his army of mooks would take over, kidnap their happy ruler, induce chaos and transform their victims into floating brick blocks. The kingdom needed some help.

Ace: And how better for help to arrive than in the form of two pesky plumbers.

Lance: Together, the Super Mario Bros. have bested Bowser and his army about a dozen times and rescued the princess from their clutches.

Ace: As time went on, Bowser wanted these heroes not just dead, but practically wiped from existence.

Lance: Doesn't stop them from re-inviting him to go go-karting though.

Ace: The king of koopas couldn't just fight his battles alone forever. And after experimenting by bringing in seven Koopa siblings to trouble the brothers, it was then Bowser decided to pull his new asset into the fray.

Lance: A BFG 9000?

Ace: No.

Lance: A swarm of enemies from every direction that home in and kill on contact?

Ace: Not even close.

Lance: A metal shroom?

Ace: Only in a world of logic, Lance. The clown prince of darkness himself, Bowser Jr.

 **Background:**

 _Full Name: Prince Bowser Koopa Junior_

 _Age Range: Between 5-10 years of age_

 _Height: About 4'4" | 132 cm (varies)_

 _Weight: Likely over 100 lbs | 45 kg_

 _Only biological son of Bowser_

 _Heir to the Koopa King's throne_

 _Secondary enemy to Mario Bros._

 _Leader of the Koopalings_

 _Left-handed_

 _A youngster gambler & pro-golfer_

Lance: Junior made his debut when Mario and crew went on vacation at Isle Delfino. Here, he disguised himself as a darker version of Mario, vandalized the entire island, and framed the poor plumber to put him out of commission and nab sweet Peaches for himself.

Bowser Jr: _"Leave my mama alone, you bad man! I won't let you take Mama Peach away!"_

Lance: Before we go any further, I'd like to address the obvious elephant in the room.

Ace: I know where this is going.

Lance: Did Peach and Bowser actually have a lovely Saturday night together and produce this little nugget incognito?

Ace: The answer is officially no. Bowser himself even admits to his son that he lied about Peach being his mom. The real mother remains an unsolved mystery to this day, if he even has one.

Lance: What we do know is that regardless of birth circumstances, this pipsqueak sure takes a lot from daddy, and then some. There's a reason why this little guy is second-in-command of a legion of doom.

 **Natural Abilities:**

 _Fire Breath  
\- Can breathe streams of fire  
\- Fireballs home in on targets_

 _Super Strength & Basic Boxing Skills_

 _Superhuman Durability_

 _Highly Durable Shell_

 _Can jump considerable heights_

 _Strategist_

 _Can drive vehicles & operate advanced machinery_

 _Participated in a variety of sports & the Olympics_

 _Carries a supply of Koopa shells & hammers_

 _Sonic Roar  
Shrinks opponents for a temporary amount of time_

Lance: Junior's smart, possesses knowledge in mechanical engineering, can operate machinery larger than him, come up with cohesive battle plans ahead of time, and has successfully been a nuisance to the Mushroom Kingdom since he stepped onto the battlefield.

Ace: On his own, Bowser Jr can breath fire as a stream or in the form of homing fireballs, a technique regularly used by his father that took him years to master. He can also duck inside his spiky shell for extra defense and spin around the field like his fellow comrades. When inside, Junior's shell is tough enough to protect him from physical strikes from the Mario Bros, both of who are strong enough to shatter blocks of brick. It also has minor protection against fire and ice-based attacks. Despite his small stature, Junior is capable of jumping to considerable heights, possesses basic boxing skills, and is strong enough to lift and chuck a gigantic metal sphere, or drag his own father around.

Lance: While on foot, he carries a supply of koopa shells and nail hammers, both infamous for being the bane of Mario's existence. BJ can also use a technique called the Sonic Roar, which temporarily shrinks down foes for his successful goals. Heh.

Ace: In his first island-wide duel with Mario, Junior wielded a magic paintbrush that was invented by one Professor Elvin Gadd, the same brilliant scientist responsible for creating Luigi's Poltergust 5000 and Mario's F.L.U.D.D. device. It's unknown why the good E. Gadd handed down his invention to Bowser's son, but it's commonly speculated that he secured the brush while disguised as Mario. More on that in a few.

Bowser Jr: _"This is my Magic Brush. When I draw with it, all my wishes come true."_

 **Magic Paintbrush:**

 _Created by Professor E. Gadd_

 _Magic Paint  
\- Slippery if walked on  
\- Sticks to anything it touches_

 _Rainbow M Portals_

 _Links areas together for transportation_

 _Forcefield Goop_

 _Undulating orange barriers Restricts access to certain areas  
\- Washed away with Yoshi saliva_

 _Electric Graffiti_

 _Lava Graffiti_

 _Poisonous Graffiti_

 _Explosive Graffiti_

 _Paint/Graffiti rendered useless with water_

 _Brush can be used alternatively for tickling foes_

Lance: It utilizes magical paint that can be used as force fields to block attacks and entrances to certain areas, burn foes with lava goop, shock with electric graffiti, poison with... poisonous goop, and blow stuff up with explosive graffiti. He can also use it to temporarily blind others and generate portals that can transport him and others to another linked-up area. This thing would be in safer hands if Bob Ross was a superhero.

Ace: The seemingly endless amount of paint emanating from this tool can also be used to trap and sink anything beneath the surface it's painted against, or spawn lesser enemies through Goop Generators, such as Swoopin' Stus, Piranhabons and Polluted Piranha Plants. Being made up of paint, these enemies or traps can be defeated and dismissed using water or with enough physical force, safely releasing anything kept captive within.

Lance: Besides bombing residential areas with Graffiti, both artistically and destructively, he could also use the brush as a melee weapon, or occasionally an effective baseball bat!

Ace: In Major League Baseball, baseballs themselves often travel over 90 miles per hour, and bat swings aren't far behind; a strength Junior could logically apply to the brush and other projectile throwing weapons. Bowser Jr also used this magic paintbrush alongside his infamous transformation... Shadow Mario.

 **Shadow Mario:**

 _Form accessible using both Magic Paintbrush & Shadow Mario bandana_

 _Fast & Agile as Mario_

 _Hovers through air at a blur speed_

 _Teleportation_

 _Spawns burning sludge at feet_

 _Really long tongue_

 _Weak against water  
\- Though can swim in it somehow_

Ace: The Shadow Mario form is acquired when Junior wears a special bandana with Mr. Video Game's famous mustache painted on. With it, he's just as fast and agile as Mario himself, though that's where the similarities end. He can also teleport, float in mid-air, and generate steaming hot sludge at his feet.

Lance: He's also got a tongue long enough to rival Gene Simmons.

Ace: But when he needs to get serious at eliminating his foes, Bowser Jr steps into the Junior Clown Car. Similar to the much bigger Koopa Clown Car used by his father, this much smaller car was built specifically for Junior and has become an essential tool in his son's battle equipment. Nowadays he's almost always never seen without it.

 **Junior Clown Car:**

 _Flight_  
 _\- Capable of carrying heavy weight while airborne_

 _Spin Attack_  
 _\- Deflects airborne enemies_  
 _\- Strong enough to hurt Giant Bowser_

 _Boxing Gloves_  
 _\- Chargeable long-ranged punch Shatters solid stone_

 _Contains:_  
 _\- Bob-ombs  
\- Mecha-koopas  
\- Explosive/Spiked Cannonballs  
\- Hammers  
\- Defensive Glass Shielding  
\- Flamethrower  
\- Grinders  
\- Wrecking Balls  
\- Grabbing Pinchers  
\- Drills  
\- Giant Fork  
\- Long Tongue  
\- Squeaky Mallet_

 _Kart Mode_

 _Submarine Mode_  
 _\- Equipped with heat-seeking Torpedo Teds_

Lance: Don't let that silly face fool you. This baby's tricked out with all sorts of bells and whistles. With it, he can fly to new heights and use a spin attack, with an impact that's strong enough to hurt giant Bowser. It also has a supply of Bob-ombs, Mecha-koopas, explosive cannonballs, spiked cannonballs and... surprise! More hammers up the wazoo! Not sure how it's able to carry all that in a small space but whatever.

Ace: The clown car is heavily resistant to fire and ice-based attacks, and can be submerged in lava with no issue. The car is also equipped with two long, extendable boxing glove arms that, when charged, can reach several feet towards the ground below itself, and can strike punches powerful enough to shatter solid stone.

Lance: This kid needs to be a guest boss in the next Punch-Out game. He's also decked out the vehicle with pincers that grab others for an up-close experience, grinders, drills, wrecking balls, a giant fork, a large tongue... and a squeaky mallet! I remember those!

Ace: The Junior Clown Car also has two alternative forms. A kart form for traversing through land and bumping into others, and a submarine form equipped with heat-seaking Torpedo Teds. Overall, this vehicle has enough features and weaponry for most combat situations against his foes. However, should he ever need to abandon his easy-to-operate, swiss-army knife vehicle in-case of emergency, Junior can always activate its self-destruct function, dealing damage to anyone caught in its explosion while its driver jumps out high and makes a dramatic escape.

 **Feats:**

 _Smarter than Bowser himself_

 _Engineering mastery_

 _Proved to be one of the Mushroom Kingdom's greatest adversaries_

 _Successfully kidnapped Peach several times_

 _Survived having a castle fall on his head_

 _Endured long falls that KO'd his father_  
 _-Landed safely by using his shell after falling from the sky_

 _Survived an explosion_

 _Held onto a Bullet Bill for over 80 miles from Stonehenge to London_

 _Conquered the Baseball Kingdom_

 _Barely made it into Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U_

Lance: Little Koopa Jr is anything but harmless. He's taken on the Mario Bros. and the forces of the Mushroom Kingdom several times and led the Koopa army through thick and thin, especially when Bowser's been put out of commission. He really strives not only for success, but to make daddy proud. He's bossed around enemies bigger and more powerful than himself, operated machinery built to compete against Mario alone on-foot, survived several long falls, one of which knocked out his father, and survived having a castle fall on his head.

 **Weaknesses:**

 _Brilliant but lazy_

 _Has a short-temper & mean streak_

 _Vulnerable to head stomps & ground-pounds_

 _Helpless if knocked on his back_

 _Shadow Mario & Magic Paintbrush creations are weak to water_

 _Junior Clown Car can be hi-jacked_

 _Does not have resistance to lava evidently_

 _Naïve, Arrogant & Selfish_

 _Does not think plans through after execution_

 _Loneliness_

Ace: For all his successes and achievements, Bowser Jr has also had a few flaws, losses and disadvantages over the years. Despite his impressive planning skills, he's lost every confrontation against Mario and company well over 20 times and counting. As an enemy in the Mario series, he can be stomped or ground-pounded on, and like other turtles, he's helpless if he's knocked onto his back. Both his painted creations and Shadow Mario become weakened and eventually nullified when contact with water is made (though this doesn't stop Shadow Mario from swimming in it at times), and his Junior Clown Car isn't indestructible and can be hijacked if he's not careful. He's also selfish, arrogant and quite naive, not to mention very easy to anger and throw off.

Lance: Not to mention, the kid has an over-reliance on gadgets and seeks to end his battles quickly. As of recent, he's become really lazy on-foot, and is almost always seen moving around and accomplishing the simplest of tasks using his clown car. I'm not even kidding, he recently used the darn thing to play some rounds of tennis. Come on dude. Ace: That said, without Shadow Mario or his clown car, Junior on-foot isn't the fastest fighter around, so a much more faster or agile opponent can overpower and defeat him in time. But most of all, Bowser Jr has secretly been a loner. For the longest time, he's been looking for a friend who had the same mindset and personality as him.

Lance: And who better than his own self from another dimension to fit the bill! I wonder who my counterpart from another world is like. Maybe he's as handsome and skilled as I am.

Ace: Likewise. Maybe we'll find out someday. Anyway, when he at long last found a friend in Paper Junior, he worried so much about losing him that the two tried working together to hunt down the only way back to the paper world and destroy : All the little guy needed was a friend. Who knew he had some heart in him!

Ace: But still, Bowser Jr is a lot of pain in a small package. Since he joined his father's battles, he's been quite a deadly and powerhouse of an adversary to one of video games' most famous heroes. Lance: If the little tyke has you in a corner, and you don't have the skills to take him out, don't even bother challenging Bowser's own second-in-command. When it comes to these guys, spreading evil and attaining power really does run in the family.

Bowser Jr: _"Someday... when I'm bigger... I wanna fight that Mario again!"_

* * *

 ** _Spike_**

Ace: During her entrance exam into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, a young Twilight Sparkle was presented with the task of hatching a mysterious dragon egg using her magic. At first, the task proved difficult for Twilight to accomplish. Until the legendary Sonic Rainboom occurred. The shockwave caused by the event caused Twilight to release an uncontrollable latency of power from her horn, hatching the baby dragon from within the egg.

Lance: Twilight not only passed her entrance exam and gained her cutie mark from the occasion, but also gained a new best friend and loyal assistant for life onwards: Spike the Dragon. If you ask me, that's a pretty sweet deal. I'd love a little dragon friend of my own to hang out with.

Ace: Twilight was given the difficult yet unique task of raising Spike, alongside her mentor Princess Celestia.

Lance: "Yes, my young grade school student needs to take care of a fire breathing dragon. You've learned your times tables, clearly that's the next step right?"

Ace: The challenge was most certainly no walk in the park, but sure enough, Twilight accomplished this remarkable feat and bonded with the baby dragon. Even naming him after her favorite doll, Smarty Pants. And for years, the two became an inseparable duo. Almost like brother and sister. Since her time living in Canterlot, Spike developed an undying loyalty to Twilight, acting as a faithful assistant through thick and thin. And the same held true when the two moved to the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville, where they would meet their new friends and embark on many new adventures to solve friendship problems, restore peace and save the world.

 **Background:**

 _Full Name: Spike The Dragon_

 _Baby Dragon_

 _Maturity Level: 9-12 years of age_

 _Height: N/A (Looks about 2'6")_

 _Twilight Sparkle's #1 assistant_

 _Raised by Twilight & Celestia since birth_

 _A proficient, mobile messenger_

 _Famous for his "hoof-lickin' good" nachos_

 _Possesses medium awareness_

 _Has a not-so secret crush on Rarity_

 _\- …And Tori Spelling_

Lance: Not much is known about how Spike came to be, including who his parents are and where his egg actually came from. But what we do know is that a dragon living amongst the equine race in Equestria is quite a rarity. And speaking of Rarity, Spike developed quite an oh-so obvious crush on the fashionista the day he and Twilight stepped hoof into Ponyville, and has been barking up that tree ever since in any way possible. Proving once and for all that love is love, even if interspecies. Good on ya, little guy.

Ace: Dragons showing affection for ponies at all is indeed unusual in Equestria. The two species are rarely cooperative with the other, with dragons preferring to steer clear of the normally peaceful ponies. Though this isn't the case for Twilight's number one assistant.

Lance: And a great thing too! Spike's got some pretty awesome and unique abilities. Like dragons on most media, Spike can breathe streams of fire. He can use it as a scorching hot attack that can reach sizes beyond disproportionate to his body, and is hot enough to melt a padlock in two seconds flat.

Ace: This means two things: one is that Spike's fire breath can easily reach temperatures well over 2500 degrees Fahrenheit, and that Spike can regulate the intensity of his own flames in accordance to the situation at hand. But more impressively is the fact that he melted the lock in just two seconds, a feat that requires several minutes or even hours to accomplish with regular fire. The closest humanity has come to accomplishing similar results is the EMPI & U.S. Air Force's TEC Torch, a device that emits a combination of vaporized metal and particulate matter from its thermite cartridge at exceedingly high temperatures of more than 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's nearly two times the temperature required to melt steel.

 **Natural Abilities:**

 _Fire Breath  
\- Magical variant can be used to deliver items, usually between Twilight & Celestia  
\- Can regulate the intensity of the fire  
\- Hot enough to melt wrought iron in seconds  
\- Capable of reaching sizes massively disproportionate to his small body_

 _Fangs  
\- Capable of biting through solid rock and gemstones like candy_

 _Tail  
\- Prehensile  
\- Can be used as an effective jackhammer_

 _Super Strength_

 _Heroism & Acts of Bravery_

 _Immune to food poisoning_

 _Exceptionally skilled at cleaning, cooking, categorizing, taking notes, sending and receiving messages_

Lance: But that's not all! Taught to him by Princess Celestia herself, Spike also regularly uses a magical variant of his fire breath to deliver messages and other objects to different recipients in Equestria, mostly between Twilight and Celestia. This dude's like a walking fax machine. That can breathe torrents of flame! Oh, and he can somehow produce fire from his claws too. Dunno how that even works, but who cares? That's freaking awesome!

Ace: Like other dragons in Equestria, Spike also regularly snacks on solid rock and a wide variety of gemstones, biting through them easily with his dragon fangs as if they were candy.

Lance: Speaking of snacking, this kid'll eat anything. And I do mean anything. He once snacked on the absolute worst muffins ever baked that once gave Ponyville a bad food poisoning outbreak. Even Pinkie Pie couldn't take the horrible taste. But Spike straight-up enjoyed the worm-filled food.

Ace: He can also use his prehensile tail as a jackhammer, which also works alternatively as an effective weapon. He's also deceptively strong and agile, able to lift and push large boulders and keep up with the other ponies. He's brave, courageous and is actually really clever, being exceptionally skilled at taking notes, handling diplomatic business, spotting flaws in plans and quickly finding advantages to overcome foes and obstacles.  
But what makes Spike especially interesting is his own body.  
In the land of Equestria, dragons are born with special, durable dragon scales, protecting their bodies from a grand scale of abuse. And Spike is no exception to this special feature. Naturally, Spike is fire-proof and is thus immune to extreme temperatures of heat.

 **Endurance:**

 _Naturally fire-proof as a dragon_

 _Can casually swim in lava_

 _Can hold lava in his mouth_

 _Dragon scales give Spike extreme resistance to tremendous amounts of physical pain:  
\- Acted as a pincushion for Rarity  
\- Survived being thrown a long, fatal distance across the moon  
\- Belly flopped into a lava pit painlessly  
\- Endured an electric attack_

Lance: He's barely fazed by fire, and he can casually bellyflop and swim into lava like if it was water! He even had some of it in his mouth and spat it out like nothing!

Ace: That's not the full extent of Spike's all-natural durability. He voluntarily used himself as a literal pincushion for Rarity no problem and has taken physical punishment on various occasions without any serious long-term injuries. Other dragons like Spike have crashed headfirst into trees, were crushed between moving stone and gem stalagmites and are caught in massive beams of fire without sustaining any physical, long-term damage. He was once even hurled several miles across the moon while confronting Shadowfright's sidekick, Jerome.

Lance: Twilight and the gang mourned over Spike, assuming the impact from the fall had killed him, implying had it been anyone else, they probably wouldn't have made it. Unless you're a dragon like Spike who got right back up and walked away from that fall more brave and pissed off at the Nightmare Force possessing Rarity than he was hurt.

Spike: _"The dragon is the finest creature ever! There's more to it than just guarding treasure!"_

Lance: Like yours truly, Spike's a proud geek, and is always down for a game of Ogres & Oubliettes on his Guys' Night Out. Courtesy of his friend Discord (you know, that guy that can warp reality), the board game he and Big Mac enjoy playing became... well, reality. Thus turning him into his wizard avatar, Garbunkle! Defender of Princess... Shmarity. Heh, ah Spikey you sly dog.

 **Garbunkle:**

 _Ogres & Oubliettes avatar_

 _Level 30 Enchanter_

 _Possesses major skill points in intellect & perception_

 _Utmost respected magician of Spiketopia_

 _Magic Staff  
-Laser Beam Emission  
-Pyrokinesis  
-Cryokinesis  
-Flight Manipulation  
-Matter Manipulation  
-Protective Forcefield_

Lance: With his magic staff, he can cast a variety of spells in-game to show that Squizard and his army of skeleton soldiers who's boss, such as magic laser beams, pyrokinesis, freezing over rivers, granting flight to any object, and blowing a giant 20-sided die into a bunch of smaller dice!

Ace: He can also bring up a forcefield to block attacks, such as magical concussive blasts. Spike can normally only have these powers if he's playing the game alongside Discord and Big Mac...

Lance: But who says we can't bend reality itself?

Ace: I was gonna say that nothing really suggests Discord wouldn't just let Spike not have his magician form in any case, but I suppose that also works as a way of saying this is a battle where we must consider a character's full capability. Besides, Spike regularly plays the Ogres & Oubliettes game, so one _could_ technically say it's standard equipment. Even so, as a dragon himself, Spike alone is enough of a walking weapon.

Lance: Dragons are among the most powerful creatures on Equestria's planet. Though like most in his species, Spike's also had some serious greed problems in the past which triggered some sort of rapid growth spurt within him. Soon he found himself collecting and hording just about anything that caught his eye; which later evolved into outright stealing from others. When he couldn't get what he wanted and push came to shove over what he thought was truly his, he grew to a massive kaiju size and became his adult form!

Spike: _"Spike...WANT!"_

 **Adult Form:**

 _Growth triggered by greed, collection and when Spike was prevented from getting anything he desired_

 _Grows massively to the size of a city building_

 _Loses all materialism & becomes a reckless beast_

 _All abilities & durability increased immensely_

 _Effortlessly cracked the ground, destroyed buildings, rampaged through Ponyville, & incapacitated the Wonderbolts_

 _Was only returned to normal when Rarity reminded Spike of his true self_

Ace: In this form, Spike is practically insusceptible to any form of punishment, given with his already highly durable scales. He has increased strength, firepower and is able to effortlessly destroy buildings and incapacitate the Wonderbolts no problem.

Lance: Spikezilla continued to rampage through Ponyville and was only calmed down and returned to normal thanks to Rarity when he realized what a big, greedy jerk he'd been that day. Man, if only this guy was able to just hulk out into this form through other means whenever he wanted. He could literally solve any of his problems at the drop of a hat! Not that he hasn't been able to get out of some pretty tough jams before.

Ace: Spike's no doubt had it rough over the course of his adventures; despite being the long time aide of Ponyville's resident princess of Magic, he was previously inconsiderate, cowardly and somewhat clumsy; often making decisions or taking on tasks beyond his control without thinking of the long-term results. Although, through each of these journeys, he continues to develop into a braver, more noble, peace-loving dragon capable of incredible things. He alone is proof that friendship is synonymous across a multitude of lands and species. In a universe full of unicorns that can manipulate matter, pegasi that can easily break the sound barrier and earth ponies with strength to spare, you'd think a simple baby dragon would be of little use. But over the years, Spike has proven he is anything but simple.

He's been inaugurated as a national hero to the Crystal Empire; saving the citizens more than once from the likes of the evil King Sombra by helping Twilight and Cadence retrieve the Crystal Heart, melting a giant falling iceberg from crashing down and ruining the Equestria Games, and even befriending the changeling Thorax; seeing the good within his heart and convincing the Empire that not all members of an enemy race are one in the same; anyone can change for the better.

 **Feats:**

 _Became national hero to the Crystal Empire  
\- Helped Twilight Sparkle & Cadence locate the Crystal Heart & defeat King Sombra  
\- Has a stain glass window in Canterlot Castle & a statue within the Crystal Empire in his honor  
\- Saved the Crystal Empire's stadium during the Crystal Games by quickly melting a giant falling iceberg_

 _Defeated the Mane-iac & rescued the Power Ponies as Hum Drum_

 _Suffocated a King Timberwolf_

 _Rescued the egg of a phoenix and raised it since birth_

 _Helped fight off a Changeling invasion_

 _Infiltrated the Nightmare Forces palace by himself  
\- And then escaped capture_

 _Helped Luna solve a series of arson attacks in Fillydelphia_

 _Helped Zecora cure Ponyville of a disease  
\- And figured out the cause of it by himself_

 _Defended Canterlot against an invasion of giant, mutant, magic-infused cockatrices with Celestia_

 _Participated in the Gauntlet of Fire and won  
\- With assistance from Princess Ember, whom he also gave the competition & Dragon Lord title to_

Lance: He rescued and raised a baby phoenix since birth, suffocated a giant King Timberwolf, rescued the Power Ponies and defeated the super-villain Mane-iac as Hum Drum, figured out how to dispel the unicorn-possessing Inspiration Manifestation and its reality altering magic, and participated in the Gauntlet of Fire and won, briefly becoming the Dragon Lord himself after retrieving Lord Torch's bloodstone scepter! Though he then gave the victory and title to Princess Ember for both her help in winning and because they became great friends.

Ace: There's also the time that he solved a series of arson attacks in Fillydelphia with Princess Luna, figured out the cause of a disease in Ponyville and helped Zecora cure it, infiltrated the Nightmare Palace on the moon on his own using stealth by befriending moon slugs that blend into the environment, and then escaped capture, assisted in restoring Nightmare Rarity to her normal self, helped fight off a Changeling invasion, and defended Canterlot against an invasion of giant, mutant, magic-infused cockatrices alongside Princess Celestia.

Lance: Wait, what!?

Ace: Yeah seriously, it was a thing! Celestia even commended Spike, stating he was the one directly responsible for claiming victory against these raging behemoths. Keep in mind that in Equestria, cockatrices, which are normally way smaller than an average-sized mare, are fearsome creatures known for turning anything that moves into stone with just a glare. On that particular day, a horde of cockatrices used the magical surge from the Secretariat comet that was passing through to invade and attack Canterlot.  
Together, Spike and Celestia, alongside the forces and citizens of Canterlot, managed to endure and fight back against these creatures over the course of an entire day.

Lance: I think that alone already crosses several levels of awesomeness. This kid has accomplished a whole lot more for a _baby_ dragon.

Spike: _"Whenever I'm afraid I'll forget something and I start to panic. I have a simple trick. I count to ten, and by the time I'm done, I've calmed myself enough to get the job right every time. Easy peasy, cider squeezy."_

 **Weaknesses:**

 _Obnoxiously snarky, insensitive, childish & clumsy on his bad days_

 _Occasionally greedy_

 _Often takes suicidal risks_

 _Dragon Code_

 _Dragon Sneeze flowers_

 _Not in complete control of himself while in adult form_

 _Has a secret fear that he will outlive his usefulness to Twilight_

 _Once botched a pie despite his proficient cooking skills_

Ace: Spike has shown several flaws and vulnerabilities of his own along the way. His insensitiveness, snarky child-like attitude and clumsiness have gotten him into trouble on bad days, he'll get distracted by greed if pushed, he's outright heedless when in his hostile adult form, and often takes risks that are too suicidal for him to handle. Though he has gotten better over time. Also, despite his insane durability, his dragon scales don't exactly make him truly invincible or immune to extremely serious forms of punishment that even an adolescent dragon wouldn't be able to handle. He can most certainly feel pain if the attack or impact is serious enough, and is affected by electric attacks the same as anyone else; though he can certainly live through it no problem. Lastly, the oddly-specific dragon-sneeze flowers will do exactly what the name implies if he gets near any; though like Kryptonite, this is very situational. Spike's biggest fear however is that one day, Twilight would no longer find any use in him and send him on his way.

Lance: A fear that was once blown out of proportion when he thought Twilight's new pet owl, Owlowiscious would replace him as her assistant. But even Twilight knows she needs Spike as much as he needs her. They've been the best of friends all his life, and Twilight couldn't have accomplished various game-changing, life-saving feats without him at her side. He acts as the voice of reason when Twilight can't, and will go out of his way to stand up to whoever gets between him and his friends.

Ace: No matter what the odds are, you can always count on Spike to pull through, help everyone through their troubles and save the day. He may not be the biggest, fiercest dragon around, but that's exactly what makes Spike Twilight's number one assistant.

Spike: _"You know, it's kinda weird. No matter how many times others tell you you're great. All the praise in the world means nothing if you don't feel it inside.  
Sometimes, to feel good about yourself, you gotta let go of the past. That way, when the time comes to let your greatness fly, you'll be able to light up the whole sky."_

* * *

 **Research Sources:**

 **Super Mario series:  
** _\- Super Mario Sunshine - New Super Mario Bros. DS/Wii/U - Super Mario Galaxy/Galaxy 2 - Super Mario Maker  
\- Spin-off Games: - Sports - Mario Kart - Mario Party - Fortune Street - Mario & Sonic series - Paper Mario - Mario & Luigi - Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U_

 **My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic:  
** _\- Seasons 1-6  
\- Equestria Girls/Rainbow Rocks/Friendship Games  
\- My Little Pony IDW Comics - Novelizations - Guidebooks_

 **Unofficial Sources:  
** _\- TV Tropes - Shigeru Miyamoto - Super Mario Wiki (NIWA) - /u/Cardboard_Boxer - Valigarmander - Smash History (Trailer Drake) - ultraguy  
\- Lauren Faust - "Big" Jim Miller - /u/selfproclaimed - /u/Foshi_Etock - ScrewAttack_

* * *

 **[Author's Note]**

Kudos to all the above sources and individuals for the information needed for both characters. Please support them (within reason) as well as all the official releases.  
All information used belong to their respective owners. I do not own any of the characters, franchises or likenesses mentioned except for my own.  
Please do not reproduce/plagiarize the research information without permission as a lot of effort went into putting everything together.

Oh and if you haven't, make sure you check out the deviantArt version of this prelude and fight!  
It's filled with colorful pictures, custom-made _DEATH BATTLE_ -like analysis slides, and even links to musical cues to enjoy in the background while reading, closely simulating an actual episode of the show! It can be found at: fav{dot}me{slash}da9077x

[Note: If the outcome doesn't turn out in your favor, sorry! Do keep in mind I love both characters and the franchises they're from, and I do not consider myself a be-all/end-all decider of who wins in a fictional confrontation. But any conclusion arrived at here is objectively thought of and debated about prior.]

Thanks everyone. Tune in next time for the fight and results! ^_^


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